Prolonged grief disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by intense, atypical responses to grief. In some clinical literature, this disorder is called complicated grief. If your teen is having an especially hard time processing grief, they may be experiencing the symptoms of prolonged grief disorder. Understanding the criteria for prolonged grief disorder may help you understand what your teen’s going through and how you can help.

Grief is a natural response to losing someone you love. For teens, the experience of grief can be particularly overwhelming, especially if they’ve never faced such a significant loss before. While many people gradually adjust to their loss over time, some teens may struggle to move forward. When a teen continues to struggle with intense grief for a long time, professional support may be essential to processing feelings and healing.

Prolonged grief disorder diagnostic criteria

According to one article, prolonged grief disorder is a recent addition to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). This addition has come with pushback due to stigma and biases that can come with DSM-5-TR categorization. Though the DSM-5-TR guides mental health diagnoses in the U.S., it is important to recognize the limits of its criteria. Still, understanding these criteria can help you understand whether your teen’s mental health challenges need professional intervention. Some diagnostic criteria for prolonged grief disorder include:

• Loss of a loved one — Prolonged grief is triggered by a significant loss. For a teen, this might be the loss of a close friend, sibling, parent or grandparent. Experiencing a major personal loss can be particularly difficult for a teen. Teens are at a developmental stage where they’re forming their identity and understanding the world around them. Losing someone they rely on can leave them feeling destabilized and confused. The closeness of the relationship often determines the intensity of the grief. If the person who passed away played a central role in the teen’s life, the impact of the loss may be more severe. This can increase the risk of prolonged grief. If someone very close to your teen has recently died, it can help to continually monitor your teen and watch for signs of mental health symptoms.
• Separation distress — A key feature of prolonged grief disorder is separation distress. Separation distress refers to an intense yearning or longing for the person who has passed away. Your teen may find themselves constantly thinking about the loved one, wishing they could see or talk to them again. Separation distress can manifest in behaviors like continually ruminating on memories or talking as though the person is still alive. While it’s natural to miss someone after they’re gone, persistent separation distress can prevent teens from engaging in daily activities and moving forward with their lives.
• Intense emotional pain — Teens with prolonged grief disorder often experience intense and overwhelming emotional pain. Different people tend to have unique responses to this pain. Emotional pain from grief can have unexpected ways of surfacing. Your teen might respond by lashing out in anger, or they might seem numb and detached from the world around them. Your teen’s behaviors may also change drastically from day to day. Intense emotional pain can be a warning sign that your teen’s grief is interfering with their mental health and quality of life. Left untreated, their pain can increase the risk of developing other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
• Functional impairment — If your teen seems unable to handle their daily responsibilities, they could be affected by prolonged grief disorder. One of the diagnostic criteria for prolonged grief disorder in the DSM-5-TR is functional impairment. Functional impairment means that mental health symptoms are directly getting in the way of your teen’s ability to perform basic tasks. For example, your teen may forget to go to school or turn in assignments. They may struggle to stay in touch with people or even maintain their personal hygiene. If your teen’s grief is affecting their school performance or daily activities, they may need support from a mental health professional to help them regain stability.
• Long grief duration — Duration is a key factor in diagnosing prolonged grief disorder. While there’s no set timeline for how long grief should last, prolonged grief is typically diagnosed in children and adolescents when intense grief persists for at least six months. It’s important to note that every teen grieves differently. Some may start to feel better after a couple of months, while others may take longer to adjust. The key difference with prolonged grief disorder is that the grief remains severe and debilitating long after the expected adjustment period. As a parent, it can help to monitor your teen’s progress over time. If they seem stuck or their symptoms are getting worse after several months, it’s worth seeking professional advice.

Lightfully Teen can help treat prolonged or complicated grief

At Lightfully Teen, we provide treatment for a range of mood disorders including prolonged grief disorder. Our licensed clinical experts treat each client with compassion and evidence-based techniques. When we work with your teen, we’ll meet them where they are. The framework of everything we do is centered around our Precision Care Model (PCM), which is designed to provide personalized care that targets the drivers behind mental health disorders and symptoms.

Change is possible. If your teen needs treatment for prolonged grief disorder, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of your teen.